A 52-year-old man allegedly hacked his wife, an Instagram influencer with over 3,00,00 followers, to death before dying by suicide at their residence in Nanganallur, Chennai, police said. The incident came to light on April 27 after the couple's younger son arrived home to find both his parents dead.
The deceased have been identified as Subramanian and his 42-year-old wife, Nagalakshmi.
According to police, the couple had been living separately for some time due to differences, after which Subramanian moved to Madurai to stay with a relative.
After their separation, Nagalakshmi built an independent livelihood by launching Sree Sai Silks, a saree business, in Nanganallur. She expanded her business through extensive Instagram promotions. In fact, the business grew enough for her to open a larger store in Chennai.
She had also sent her elder son, Harish Bharadwaj (21), to Russia for medical studies, while her younger son, Sailash (18), is currently pursuing a first-year dentistry course in Chennai.
Subramanian had recently returned to Chennai and reportedly reconciled with Nagalakshmi after apologising for his past behaviour.
On April 27, Subramanian sent a disturbing text message to Sailash. When Sailash rushed home, he found his mother hacked to death. His father was found hanging in another room.
Police officials reached the spot, recovered the bodies, and sent them to Chengalpattu Government Hospital for autopsy.
Initial investigation suggests that an argument broke out between the couple, which could have led to Subramanian killing Nagalakshmi. Further investigation is underway.
